How does Gerttysburg change if Pickett is at Gettysburg on July 2?

Kiryan

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So, watching Gettysburg, i was just up to the part where John Bell Hood begins his attack, and having watched the Confederate staff meeting before where Longstreet says he does not have Pickett, how much would this battle change, if at all, if Pickett was there with the army when the battle began when attacking the Round Tops????
 
At a first glance, probably not that much. Presumably Pickett would be on McLaws's left as part of the en echelon attack instead of Anderson. Now, Pickett may well do better at coordinating his division than Anderson did, and I can't imagine Garnett, Kemper, or Armistead sitting back on their laurels as Posey and especially Mahone did. So, the Confederate attack might end up sticking against Cemetary Ridge a hair longer, but Pickett would still face the same difficulties there that Wright did.

Interesting question.
 
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It should have given Longstreet more punch but would it have been enough to reach Cemetery Ridge and push the union army off the ridge I doubt it.
 
Pickett did reach Gettysburg very late on the afternoon of July 2. He asked Longstreet
if his men were needed but was told to rest his men. If Pickett had been in time to become
involved in the July 2 fighting, in all likelihood, his division would have not been decimated
on July 3. I believe that his division would have given the Army of Northern Virginia a good
chance to at least hold the Wheatfield which was hotly contested during the day 2 fighting.
If he had been used in conjunction with Hood's flanking maneuver there is a good chance the
top of Little Round Top could have been reached but holding it against Union reinforcements
that were on the way would be another story.

I have often wondered what would have happened on July 3rd if Corse's and Jenkins's
brigades had been with Pickett for the Gettysburg campaign instead of being detached
to guard Richmond. At the least, the Vermont brigade would have not been able to flank
Kemper's brigade on the far right if another brigade had been present to link to Kemper
 
Pickett did reach Gettysburg very late on the afternoon of July 2. He asked Longstreet
if his men were needed but was told to rest his men. If Pickett had been in time to become
involved in the July 2 fighting, in all likelihood, his division would have not been decimated
on July 3.

The timing does not work for Pickett's division to be involved in Day 2 fighting (at least in support of Longstreet's other divisions) :

Fighting for Longstreet's Corps started around 4 PM and ended around 7 PM.

Here is Pickett's Division timeline on July 2nd:

about 4 PM: Pickett with Garnett's and Armistead's brigades arrive and rest in the wooded area around Marsh Creek, close to Chambersburg Pike.

Pickett talks to Longstreet, the earliest 4:30 PM, goes back around 5 PM, and gives the order for the troops to bivouac there for the night.

Kemper's brigade arrives at the battlefield behind Spangler's woods "after sunset", which on July 2nd even without daylight savings time was after the battle ended at 7 PM; so Kemper was practically out.

If Longstreet said "yes", it would have probably taken at least a good 2 hrs to get Garnett's and Armistead's troops in formation with a plan and orders and ready to execute in support of the other Longsteet's Divisions, which gets the time after the end of the fighting for day 2.

Was not practicable :wink:
 
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